why is my 1973 ford backfiring through the carb ?

JustAsking

New member
i am working on my 1973 ford galaxie 500 it has a 400 big block and for the most part it runs fine but when you really put your foot in the gas it hesitates and backfires through the carb. here is a list of all the things i have fixed. points, condenser, distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs and wires, and replaced ALL the vacuum lines, and even the idle stop solenoid. please help its really annoying.
 
It sounds like the Accelerator pump ciruit is not working right..

The greater inertia of liquid gasoline, compared to air, means that if the throttle is suddenly opened, the airflow will increase more rapidly than the fuel flow, causing a temporary "lean" condition which causes the engine to "stumble" under acceleration (the opposite of what is normally intended when the throttle is opened). This is remedied by the use of a small mechanical pump, usually either a plunger or diaphragm type actuated by the throttle linkage, which propels a small amount of gasoline through a jet, wherefrom it is injected into the carburetor throat. This extra shot of fuel counteracts the transient lean condition on throttle tip-in. Most accelerator pumps are adjustable for volume and/or duration by some means. Eventually the seals around the moving parts of the pump wear such that pump output is reduced; this reduction of the accelerator pump shot causes stumbling under acceleration until the seals on the pump are renewed.

The accelerator pump is also used to prime the engine with fuel prior to a cold start. Excessive priming, like an improperly-adjusted choke, can cause flooding. This is when too much fuel and not enough air are present to support combustion. For this reason, some carburetors are equipped with an unloader mechanism: The accelerator is held at wide open throttle while the engine is cranked, the unloader holds the choke open and admits extra air, and eventually the excess fuel is cleared out and the engine starts.
 
I know you checked and replaced all the vacuum lines, but double check the vacuum line leading from the carb to the distributor.
Also, the points could have the wrong gap. The timing could be a little off too, try adjusting the timing. I'm assuming you properly gapped the spark plugs.
 
as engine speed increases the ignition timing must change with the speed (higher rpm means more lead time on the spark), try changing the springs (or weights, or both) in the distributor to change the timing advance, did it on my chevy 350 once, not sure if fords are the same, but their should be some way to change the advance.
 
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